1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to building insulation. More particularly the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for installing insulation in the roof of a commercial or industrial building from above. The invention makes use of a new manner of anchoring the reinforced facing providing support for the insulation at the bottom.
2. Background Art
Fiberglass insulation has many advantages. It is not flammable, it provides good R-value, and it is nontoxic. It can be installed from below after the roof is finished to protect the insulating materials from the elements. It is also possible to install the insulation from above before the roof is sealed off. It is preferred to insulate new roofs from above for efficiency as well as the comfort of those carrying out the insulating.
Steel buildings typically have steel I-beam rafters running from an outside wall to the ridge of the roof. Attached to the top of these rafters and perpendicular to them are purlins. The purlins provide the structure to which the steel roofing is affixed. It is between the purlins, above the I-beam rafters and beneath the steel roofing that insulation is typically installed.
Installing insulation from above in new buildings is not new. An apparatus for dispensing insulation in the roof-section of industrial and commercial buildings from above is revealed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,057 by Alderman et al. The apparatus uses the purlins as tracks on which to run from one end of the building to the other. A support sheet, for providing support for the insulation at the bottom is also dispensed by the apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,057. This support sheet is suspended from the tops of the purlins. Methods for anchoring the support sheet at intervals along the purlins for the purpose of keeping the support sheet tight and preventing pillowing are not described.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,487 to Fligg discloses an invention for insulating pre-existing roofs from below. It incorporates further support for insulating material between purlins as well as a method for anchoring a reinforced facing material support sheet at the ends. The method of anchoring the reinforced facing material is not immediately applicable to installation of insulation from above.
There is, therefore, a need for a method and device for anchoring supportive facing material when installing insulation from above in a steel building. Furthermore, there is a need for such anchoring to occur periodically across the building to reduce pillowing and improve the appearance of the insulating job from below.
A purpose of this invention is to provide a simple and effective method and apparatus for anchoring supporting facing material located at the bottom of the insulation layer between purlins in a steel building when insulating from above before the roof is finished.
A structural frame comprising vinyl lower support members (with a cross-section shaped like a channel), supported by four-way lower support brackets is fully disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,487 which is hereby incorporated by reference. The lower support members running adjacent to and parallel with the beam rafters are oriented with their open side facing upward. Metal angles, placed parallel to the rafters and centered between purlins are anchored to the tops of the rafters and extend down into the channel created by the lower support member.
The facing material is rolled out between the purlins. At desired locations next to rafters, the facing material is pressed into the channel created by the lower support member. The angle is also pressed into the same space and affixed firmly to the top of the rafter, trapping the facing material and anchoring it between the metal angle and the rafter. Therefore, it is effectively held in place so the weight of the insulation will not cause excessive pillowing. The facing material loops under the angle, within the channel-shaped lower support member, so it is supported by the lower support member as the facing material extends away from the rafter. This gives the facing material the support it needs at the correct elevation.
The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention, both as to its organization and method operation together with further objectives and advantages thereto, will be better understood from the following description considered in connection with accompanying drawings in which a presently preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.